


In the Night, Silent

by amy_vic



Category: West Wing
Genre: Community: tww_minis, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-09
Updated: 2010-03-09
Packaged: 2017-10-07 19:59:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/68712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amy_vic/pseuds/amy_vic





	In the Night, Silent

It's just after 10 on a Friday night, and Toby has never been more pleased to see a week end. He's spent so many hours in his editor's office, it makes all his years of law school look like a beach party. Now, he's sitting in a chair on the back porch, just taking in the stillness of the air.

"Hey, Dad?"

Toby looks up, surprised. His son stands there, dressed in his pajamas and a heavy sweater. "Huck, you should be in bed."

Huck shrugs his shoulders as he moves to sit in the chair next to Toby's, and even in the low light Toby can see the weight settling there. It bothers him-angers him-in a way he can't quite describe. "I couldn't sleep."

Toby nods. Andy's driven into Baltimore to meet an old friend for a drink (and is getting a hotel room for the night instead of driving home), and Molly's at a sleepover for one of the girls in her dance class. He knows what Huck really means is, "The house is too quiet. Too empty."

"Yeah, I understand. You can stay out here for a little while, if you'd like." Toby reaches for his coat, tossed over the back of his chair, and offers it to Huck. "Put this on though, okay? It's getting cold out here."

Huck wraps himself in the heavy black wool. They both sit silently for several minutes, listening to the muted sounds of traffic from the roads surrounding the house. Toby leans his head back and watches the stars; there isn't a single cloud out tonight, and with the chill in the air, the sky seems magnified somehow.

"What's on your mind, son?"

Huck tips his head in Toby's direction, but the coat is bunched up slightly, keeping him from meeting his father's eyes. Again he shrugs, and turns his head back to stare up at the sky. "I'm fine."

"Huck." Toby has no idea just where he picked up that tone of voice-that stern but loving, cut the crap tone-or how he can employ it with just a single word, but there it is. _Leo was right after all_, Toby thinks to himself as he looks at Huck's profile, barely distinguishable from the coat bunched up around his face, and the darkness of the yard beyond.

Huck turns again, this time shifting his small body to sit sideways in the chair, facing his father. He pulls the coat tighter around himself and wraps his arms around his pulled up knees. "It's just...there's some dumb kids at school, and they're saying a bunch of stupid stuff about you and Mom. Mostly you, though."

"What kind of stuff?"

Huck lifts a hand and waves it around, but the movement is largely hindered by the too-long sleeve of the coat. "Just...you know, dumb stuff. Things they heard from their parents. About you and Mom, and Aunt CJ and Uncle Danny. And Sam."

Toby hesitates for a moment too long before replying, perhaps, but Huck doesn't notice. "It's just a bunch of crap, and I don't believe any of it, but they think it's fun to try to get me mad."

"Does it get you mad, Huck?"

Huck shakes his head, and Toby makes a mental note to tell Andy to make an appointment for haircuts; Huck's hair is just about at his collar. "No. It's just a bunch of garbage. You should see Molly, though; she gets so mad."

Huck grins, and again, Toby knows what he really means. Even at seven years old, his daughter has no problem settling a fight. In rare moments, she reminds him of himself when he was the same age. Brooklyn and Julie Ziegler raised Toby and his brother up fast and hard; apparently, the city never left his blood. He's grateful for it, although he'll never admit it to anyone.

"Yeah, I imagine she does. That one kid-what's his name, Billy? Has she made him cry yet?" Toby smiles, but tries to keep it hidden from Huck's view. If Andy finds out he's encouraging Molly's attitudes toward her classmate, there'll be hell to pay.

"No. But..." Huck trails off, once again watching the sky. Toby just waits. "I don't know, Dad. Nothing."

"Okay." Toby isn't convinced that Huck has nothing more to say, but decides not to push the issue. With Huck, Toby has learned to let him do things in his own time.

"I'm sleepy," Huck announces suddenly. He unfolds himself from the chair and stands, shrugging off Toby's coat and dropping it back on the chair. "I'm going back to bed."

"Want me to-"

"No, that's okay. Goodnight, Dad." Huck wraps his arms around his father's neck, and kisses his cheek briefly.

"Goodnight, son."


End file.
